Various ball producing machines have been operated to produce balls from chunks of metal, such as steel or the like, and have employed rotors with annular grooves in the peripheries thereof and having die segments surrounding the rotors and having conforming grooves therein and the segments have been forced toward the rotor by means of heavy springs and generally these springs have been made of metal. During operation of such machines, the heat generated in the operation of forming steel balls causes gradual relaxation of the springs and attendant functional capabilities of the machine. Accordingly, conventional ball producing facilities, using springs to hold the die segments toward the periphery of the rotor, have caused considerable maintenance difficulties due to gradual relaxation of the springs and attendant inefficiency in the ball forming operations of the machine.